Novak Djokovic's elbow holds up as he downs 18-year-old newcomer at Srpska Open
Novak Djokovic's body held up as he overcame a difficult match against youngster Luca Van Assche in the second round of the Srpska Open.
Novak Djokovic.<p>Novak Djokovic faced a tough challenge during his second-round match against youngster Luca Van Assche at the Srpska Open but managed to come through it unscathed.</p>
Despite being the world number one, there were some doubts about Djokovic's form and fitness in the lead-up to the inaugural ATP 250 event in Bosnia and Herzegovina, due in no small part to his shocking defeat to Lorenzo Musetti at the Monte Carlo Masters.
On Wednesday in Banja Luca, Djokovic played with an arm sleeve and struggled during the opening set as his 18-year-old opponent gave him a tough time. However, his experience prevailed, and he eventually won the match 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and 38 minutes.
"It wasn't easy," Djokovic said after the match. "This would probably rank as the slowest court, slowest conditions I've ever played in, to be honest. I couldn't penetrate through the court. I couldn't put any ball past him."
The ninth game of the first set saw the Frenchman break Djokovic's serve and then serve for the set. Djokovic immediately broke back to take the set to a tie-breaker but then lost the breaker to Van Assche.
Despite the setback, Djokovic responded strongly in the second set with an early break in the third game and a second break in the ninth game to force a decider.
In the third set, Van Assche broke in the opening game but Djokovic quickly leveled the match. From there, Djokovic broke Van Assche's serve twice to establish a 4-1 lead and ultimately win the match with a third break.
"He was on every single ball for a set-and-a-half until I started to get some rhythm going," Djokovic added. "I'm happy with the way I finished the match. Of course I can always play better, but a win is a win."
Djokovic will face either fellow Serb Dusan Lajovic or eighth-seeded Frenchman Gregoire Barrere in the quarter-final.
<p>The article <a href="https://www.planetsport.com/tennis/news/novak-djokovics-elbow-holds-downs-18-year-old-newcomer-srpska-open">Novak Djokovic's elbow holds up as he downs 18-year-old newcomer at Srpska Open </a> appeared first on Planetsport.com.</p>